PALLET RACK SHEET GOODS DISPLAY

Abstract

A display intended use on a conventional pallet rack having at least two horizontal telescopically extensible tubular members, an inverted L-shaped support including a first portion adapted to engage an interior step of an existing pallet rack cross-support of a pallet rack and a second portion depending from the first portion and fixed to an end of one of the tubular members. A plurality of hooks movable along the length of and supported by each telescopically extensible pair of tubular members, the hooks being adapted to engage, directly or indirectly, an upper edge of sheet goods for suspended display within the pallet rack. Two or more adjacent telescopically extensible pairs of tubular members can be coupled together at a fixed separation distance to provide multiple rows of displayed sheet goods.

Description

BACKGROUND

The present invention is directed to displays for sheet goods and, specifically, to display racks for sheet goods such as desk mats, floor mats, carpet mats and chair mats used to protect an underlying surface. In particular, the present invention relates to a rack for displaying such sheet goods in an attractive manner that is designed to be supported by a conventional pallet rack.

Pallet racks originally received wide usage in warehouses where typically they would extend in a plurality of rows for substantially the height of the building with space being provided between the rows for forklift trucks to move. The forklift trucks would store and remove standard sized pallets supporting stock on the shelves. More recently, the opening of large warehouse stores to the public have utilized such pallet racks for direct access by the consumer. Generally, upper portions of the pallet racks are still used to store standard sized pallets of stock, while lower portions of the pallet racks may be arranged in to display the goods for commercial selection by the consumer. In the lower portions of the pallet racks, the goods are often arranged so that the consumer can select individual items that can then be placed by the consumer into or onto a cart for transport to a check-out location.

Desk mats and chair mats for office and home use are well known. Such mats can be applied over carpeting and can have short and often relatively sharp spikes on the undersides thereof which hold the mats firmly in place on the carpeting. If merely arranged in a stack, such mats can be difficult or awkward to carry and/or otherwise handle safely. Such mats are now being found increasingly in retail outlets, compounding the need for a safe display of such goods. While such mats may be boxed, the boxes add cost and can be themselves unwieldy. As a result, boxes are not used to any great extent in the retail environment. Thus, with increasing retail activity, new displays are also required. Such mats present display problems since, absent the use of boxes, they do not stand alone unless wound. Even standing on edge in a wound or partially wound state, however, the mats are relatively unstable.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,568,852 discloses a rack for displaying merchandise, especially flat sample pieces of carpets, tiles, or other sheet goods. The rack has two spaced-apart standards and a bar extends laterally between and interconnects the two standards. A plurality of carriers are received on the bar, each carrier having a flat upright body with an opening or hook at an upper end engaging the bar. Each carrier body has a pair of offset hooks to form a bracket for engagement with a handle of the merchandise.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,842 discloses a display stand specifically for displaying mats for retail purchase, the mats being folded over so that the spikes are within the folded mat. The display stand has a pair of vertical standards, braced by horizontal reinforcement rods, which are supported on a pair of leg assemblies. A horizontal display rod is fixed perpendicularly to one of the reinforcement rods using a conventional fastener. A number of display hooks are fixed to the display rod by any suitable means so that the folded mats can be suspended from the hooks.

There remains a need for even better displays specifically intended for use in the pallet rack environment that are sufficiently robust to withstand the wear caused by the stocking and selection activities of particularly heavy sheet goods, for example, folded desk chair mats and floor mats.

SUMMARY

One such display intended for mounting on a conventional pallet rack has at least two horizontal tubular members that are telescopically extensible relative to each other. Each of the horizontal tubular members has one end that includes an inverted L-shaped member for engaging an existing cross-support of a pallet rack. The inverted L-shaped member includes a first portion adapted to engage an interior step of an existing cross-support of a pallet rack. A second portion of the inverted L-shaped member depends from the first portion and is fixed to an end of one of the tubular members. A plurality of hooks can be situated on and supported by each telescopically extensible pair of tubular members, the hooks being adapted to engage, directly or indirectly, an upper edge of sheet goods for suspended display within the pallet rack. The plurality of hooks can be movable along the length of the tubular members to permit easy access to the sheet goods by the purchasing public. Two or more adjacent telescopically extensible pairs of tubular members can be coupled together at a fixed separation distance to provide multiple rows of displayed sheet goods.

One feature of the present display is its enhanced stability and strength, which assures longer life under the rigors of heavy product display usage in the large warehouse store environment. Another feature of the present display stand is its expansibility to provide additional space for display of the sheet goods in question. Other features of the present display and the corresponding advantages of those features will be come apparent from the following discussion of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, exemplifying the best mode of practicing the present invention, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art pallet rack in which the present display can find utility.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present display situated in place on the prior art pallet rack displaying folded desk chair mats.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is detail elevation view of the inverted L-shaped member mounted on the rack as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective detail view on one end of a tubular member supported on the rack by the inverted L-shaped member.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A portion of a typical prior art rack 8 is shown in FIG. 1 having a pair of uprights 10 and a cross-support beam member 12 adapted to connect detachably at either end to the uprights 10, as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,212, to provide long racks for supporting pallets (not shown), one spaced above the other, in a warehouse or a large warehouse-type store open to the public. Each upright 10 is typically a formed steel channel having in-turned rims 14 at the rear edges of their flanges 16. The front face 18 of the upright is typically perforated with two rows of vertically disposed slots 20 of a generally keyhole shape. The slots 20 are typically narrower at their lower ends, and can have an inclined edge 22 facing the flanges 16 and an opposed vertical lower edge 24 which is slightly offset from the upper right hand edge 23 of the slot. The slots in adjoining rows are typically the mirror images of each other. Usually square holes 26 are provided in both flanges 16 of the upright, which holes are typically vertically offset with respect to the slots 20.

The cross-support beam 12 can be of any reasonable length and is generally formed to include a front face 32 and a rear face 36. The rear face 36 can include a step 38 which typically extends the entire length of beam 12 and is formed by the junction of vertical surface 40 and horizontal surface 42. Welded to each end of the beam 12 is a right angle vertical bracket 28 which embraces a corner of the upright 10 when the beam is connected thereto. Flange 30 of bracket 28 is parallel to the face 32 of the cross-support beam 12 and carries a pair of connectors 34 welded or riveted to the flange 30. Generally, the two connectors 34 are vertically spaced a distance equal to twice the distance between adjacent slots 20 in one row to provide resistance to warping of the beam 12 under load.

The present display 46 is shown in FIG. 2 situated in place on the prior art pallet rack 8 displaying a plurality of folded desk chair mats 48. The pallet rack 8 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to include diagonal and horizontal spacing members 15 and 17 fixed between forward and rearward uprights 10. The length of the horizontal spacing members 17 dictate the distance between the forward and rearward cross-support beams 12. The display 46 is shown in FIG. 2 to have two sets of horizontal tubular members 50, 52, that are telescopically extensible relative to each other. A plurality of hooks 56 can be situated on and supported by each telescopically extensible pair of tubular members 50, 52. The hooks 56 are adapted to engage, directly or indirectly, an upper edge 57 of sheet goods 48 for suspended display within the pallet rack 8. The hooks 56 can be movable along the length of the tubular members 50, 52 to permit easy access to the sheet goods 48 by the purchasing public from either the forward or rearward sides of the rack 8. The number of sets of telescopically extensible horizontal tubular members 50, 52, that are included in a given display 46 can vary. When two or more adjacent telescopically extensible pairs of tubular members 50, 52, are employed in a single display 46, coupling members 54 can be employed to couple together adjacent pairs of the tubular members 50, 52, a fixed separation distance to provide multiple rows of displayed sheet goods 48.

Each of the horizontal tubular members 50, 52 has one end that includes an inverted L-shaped member 58, shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, for engaging the interior step 38 or either the forward or rearward cross-support beams 12 of the pallet rack 8. The inverted L-shaped member 58 includes a first portion 60 adapted to engage a horizontal surface 42 forming an interior step 38 of an existing cross-support beam 12 of a pallet rack 8. The engagement between the first portion 60 on the inverted L-shaped member 58 and the horizontal surface 42 can be simply frictional so that as the number of sheet goods 48 increases, the downward force by the first portion 60 will be sufficient to restrict or prevent any lateral movement of the tubular members 50, 52 relative to the pallet rack 8. A second portion 62 of the inverted L-shaped member 54 depends from the first portion 60 and is fixed to an end of one of the tubular members 50, 52. The height of the first portion 60 of the inverted L-shaped member 58 is preferably no greater than the vertical height of vertical surface 40 forming the step 38 to ensure that the display 46 will not interfere with any activity taking place in the space above the supporting cross-support beams 12. The vertical height of second portion 62 is preferably less than the height of the interior wall 36 so that the interior wall can prevent any unwanted telescopic expansion of the tubular members 50, 52, relative to each other. While the tubular members 50, 52 are illustrated to be circular in cross-section, other forms can be employed that still permit the desired telescopic relative movement to permit adaptation of the display 46 to racks 8 having different separation distances between the forward and rearward cross-support beams 12. The tubular members 50, 52 can include a locking feature to maintain the members at any desired extended position relative to each other.

While these features have been disclosed in connection with the illustrated preferred embodiment, other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art that come within the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A display for use in conjunction with a pallet rack having a plurality of uprights connected together by cross-support beam members, the beam members having confronting interior surfaces including a step extending the entire length of beam members, the step being formed by the junction of vertical surface and a horizontal surface, the display comprising:

at least two horizontal tubular members that are telescopically extensible relative to each other, each of the horizontal tubular members having one end that includes an inverted L-shaped member for engaging the step of the pallet rack cross-support member, the inverted L-shaped member having a first portion adapted to engage the horizontal surface of the step and a second portion depending from the first portion, the second portion being fixed to an end of one of the tubular members, and a plurality of hooks situated on and supported by each telescopically extensible pair of tubular members, the hooks being adapted to engage, directly or indirectly, an upper edge of sheet goods for suspended display within the pallet rack.

2. The display of claim 1, further comprising coupling members coupling together adjacent pairs of the tubular members at a fixed separation distance from each other to provide multiple rows of displayed sheet goods.

3. The display of claim 1, wherein the height of the first portion of the inverted L-shaped member is no greater than the vertical height of the vertical surface forming the step.

4. The display of claim 1, wherein the hooks are movable along the length of the tubular members facilitating access from either side of the pallet rack.